Three fire departments responded to a large fire adjacent to railroad tracks in Big Clifty.
On Monday afternoon at approximately 5:35, the East Grayson, Clarkson and Leitchfield Fire Departments, EMS, the Clarkson Police Department, and Grayson Co. Emergency Management responded to the railroad tracks in the 9100 block of Elizabethtown Road (Hwy 62), approximately 200 yards west of the St. Paul Road railroad crossing.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters found several hundred, stacked railroad ties fully engulfed in flames and threatening an adjacent harvest-ready soybean field. East Grayson FD immediately requested P&L Railway halt all train traffic, as the blaze was about 12 feet from the tracks.
Additionally, the railroad ties were stacked near a tree line, which was continuously sprayed with water to keep the fire from spreading.
Firefighters battled the fire for several hours, as sections of the railroad ties, even after being extinguished, would almost immediately reignite due to the extreme heat emitted by the fire.
A command center was established in the driveway of nearby home on St. Paul Road. Frequent trips to refill water trucks were made and personnel were rotated.
Firefighters cleared the scene late Monday evening and train traffic resumed.
Then, at approximately 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, East Grayson firefighters returned to the scene as personnel from two trains reported the fire had reignited.
It’s unclear how the fire started, but officials suspect it was intentionally set.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
